West Notes: Spurs, Cedi Osman, Warriors, Klay Thompson, Grizzlies

Spurs

Guard/forward Cedi Osman said he thinks the Spurs’ second unit will have plenty to offer.

“I think that playing four smalls is gonna help us run better offensively, move better offensively,” Osman told reporters, via Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. “… We’ll have to have good spacing and obviously move a lot.”

Osman is in his first season with San Antonio following a trade with the Cavaliers. He talked about that recently too, as we relayed here.

• The Spurs exercised their their-year team options on forward Jeremy Sochan, and guards Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley, the team announced. Each was selected by San Antonio in the 2022 NBA Draft.
• In case you missed it, forward Zach Collins and the Spurs agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension, as relayed by Jeff McDonald of the Express-News.

Warriors

Shooting guard Klay Thompson and the Warriors are seemingly far apart in talks on a contract extension, meaning Thompson very well could be headed for free agency at the end of the season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Thompson is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $43 million and was signed before a pair of major injuries to his ACL and Achilles.

Sources told Hoops Wire at the start of the season that the Warriors would be hesitant to offer Thompson another large deal, given that he hasn’t looked the same since the injuries.

Thompson, 33, “is not the same All-Defensive Team level player he was before, nor the same level of shot creator,” wrote Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. “He’s not the All-NBA level player he was five years ago.”

• Forward Draymond Green has been cleared for five-on-five work after suffering a left ankle sprain ahead of training camp, the team announced. His status for the opener vs. the Suns remains up in the air, however.

Grizzlies

• How will the Grizzlies go about trying to replace injured center Steven Adams, out for the season? We wrote about what we and others are hearing at this link.